Out of bed on the wrong side.

Scotland is wintry and raw.

In town there's no snow - yet. The pavement outside the front door free of ice.

A desk has been set up in a room downstairs by the Swedish delivery men. This becomes the de facto home office. All the workmen try the desk chair and announce that it's comfortable. '' You'd no believe it to look at it ".

The workmen also try the dining chairs and kitchen chairs and find them comfortable '' But no as comfortable as yon chair downstairs ". ' The Font ' is reintroduced to Scots egalitarianism in action.

All goes well apart from the conversation with the fire extinguisher man who clearly got out of bed on the wrong side. The kitchen floor is painted white . The light milk paint wash on the ash floorboards is more difficult to match. It's of the technical '' I've never seen the like " variety. The decorator has gone away to talk to a friend in Perth. '' They see all sorts of fancy things over there ".

There is an emotional and vocal reunion on 'The Fonts' return home. Bob, satisfied that he has found the missing sheep, falls into a deep sleep from which he is only now awakening. Sophie, exhausted after the tribulations of being looked after by Angus, is still snoozing.



The Gaelic for Barn Owl is Little White Woman of the Night   . This is a book I shall buy   : https://twitter.com/MimDarling